Doctors and medical workers are feeling the toll of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus more than anybody except their patients.

As of Friday morning local time the virus, named after its epicenter in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, had killed 635 people and infected nearly 31,000. As many as 1,000 of those infected were medical workers.

Some workers who contracted the disease have died. More still are working in dire conditions, without the protection or resources they need to control an epidemic. Here is the situation on the ground:

Doctors in Wuhan, which was placed under a sweeping quarantine on January 24, have been faced with far more patients than they can handle.

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About when the quarantine began, one doctor told BBC News: "The hospitals have been flooding with patients, there are thousands, I haven't seen so many before.

"I am scared because this is a new virus and the figures are alarming."

Early in the outbreak, scientists had not yet realized that the virus could spread from human to human. During that time, many doctors didn't wear protective gear.

China has relatively few doctors per capita compared with countries like the US, and those it does have are less well-trained.

It was planning to increase the figure to 6,000, according to the country's National Health Commission.

Even with enough doctors, many hospitals were desperately short of supplies. This included protective gear for the medics.

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"Many were not initially informed about the potential for people-to-person transmission, and even now we don't have enough protective gear, test kits, and other supplies," one Wuhan doctor told the South China Morning Post on January 24.

There were also too few testing kits for patients, making it hard to distinguish a coronavirus case from any other flu or cold.

Some hospitals have been pleading for donations of supplies from ordinary people. A social-media post from the Wuhan Children's Hospital, cited by the BBC, said simply: "Medical supplies are in short supply - help!"

Working conditions have been desperate. Some doctors resorted to wearing adult diapers because they had too little time to even use the bathroom.

The newspaper said a second reason to use adult diapers was to avoid the delicate process of taking off a hazmat suit, which could tear and ruin it.

Countermeasures took a physical toll. Medics' hands were bleached from constant disinfectant, and the lines from face masks dug into their skin.

Feature China/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Faces of China in 2020:Marks of MasksDoctors and nurses who are combating #Wuhan Coronavirus in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province of south China. Courtesy of Weibo Changsha Fabu. pic.twitter.com/o7EpH3Vupq

The precautions do not always work. Posts on Chinese social media suggest that as many as 1,100 medical workers have caught the virus — almost one in 30 of the total case load.

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From Chinese social media today: 2 photos of the same ChinaCDC chart showing No. of infections among medical professionals in Wuhan before Jan 18. Taken at 2 different venues. The total of confirmed cases & suspected cases is 1,101, not including hospitals w fewer than 15 case. pic.twitter.com/ILxKDWkmSb

One doctor who contracted the disease locked herself in her apartment and didn't even tell her family.

An unnamed doctor shut herself away because of an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, according to a Beijing-based therapist named Candice Qin, who described her case to The Washington Post.

"I think it is a strain for every doctor and every nurse in Wuhan, both physically and mentally," Qin told The Post. "We know that patients are worried, but we should bear in mind that doctors are just as human as well."

A seven-months-pregnant nurse who helped fight the outbreak also got infected.

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The nurse ended up passing the disease to her 70-year-old mother.

There was no space for her in a nearby hospital, and the woman resorted to posting on social media to shame officials into admitting her.